Ollie ~ 20 months old (:

Silly photo courtesy of Isabella!

 

My sweet Ollie has entered the new phase of toddler life. He can communicate with words in a way he couldn't just a few weeks ago, and it has been so much fun to hear his litte voice come out with many more words than before. He voices all the main things such as up, stay, down, out, yum, gink-oo (thank you), etc.. He can say one, two, three and I have caught him counting pieces of dog kibble! In his own very dramatic way, hands flailing and with much laughter, he tells entire stories that basically aren't understandable but then he throws in a few legitimate words and I understand what he is talking about. My goodness, he is adorable! It's amazing how it happens, one day he was content to know things but not to voice his thoughts and the next day he is rhyming off all his body parts and yelling "Help!! and laughing when he wants to get down from his high chair. It's amazing really, the growth of a being. I love it. I love him (:

Sleepyhead

Talulah the pygmy goat

 

Yum yum trees!

Silly Talulah!

Searching for wild black berries (:

 

We found some! They are actually growing in a few different places throughout our property but I only picked maybe 15 berries before the kids were so miserable about the swarms of nasty mosquitos that we had to retreat ): Jason ended up picking a bunch when he came home from work and I created a most delicious and wonderful crumble by combining them with the last sacred bunch of rhubarb from the garden. Yum!

~{{ Tea Party Time! }}~

 

Ollie, Jude and I are having a lovely tea party today, joining in with Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist!

 

Have a beautiful day, and a beautiful July, and a cup of delicious tea, of course! 

 

^__^

Scarlet Tanager!

 

Look who was sitting in the tree directly behind my house! Wow!

 

Isabella screamed for me to come and see, and well, she never does that, so I ran over, and there he was, a Scarlet Tanager. I had never heard of them before and certainly never seen one. What an amazing gift (: And I managed to run back across the room, grab my camera and snap this photo before he flew away (:

Very good friends

Jude (after he painted his face yet again) and Teapot, who is now 3 months old.

In the early afternoon each day, we all venture out to give treats to the lambs, goat and chickens. They are very excited to see us, and run under our feet and trip us (-; Ollie loves to throw cracked corn to the chickens; It makes him feel very proud. Sometimes he puts a bit in his small wagon and pulls it around while Woolly Pippin walks along behind with his head in the wagon attempting to eat the corn. It is hilarious. I have to say, getting bottle-lambs and chickens was the best idea I ever had (: They enrich our lives in the most beautiful, wholesome way. They are wonderful to be around and bring joy and peace to everyone who spends time in their presence. Next...a pig, maybe? (-;

^__^

a photograph by Jude

A lovely photo taken by three-year old Jude last autumn I believe (:
It's very zen, which is completely NOT a Jude quality. Not yet in his life, anyway (:
I love it.

face painting

Jude and Isabella painted their own faces yesterday. This is something that Jude asks to do quite often. It's very calming to paint one's own face in the mirror; this can keep the kids busy for quite some time (: Even 19 month old Ollie painted some blue lines on homself!

random thoughts for a change

My posts have been very image-intensive this past, what, year? 2 Years? I'm not even sure. But I thought it was about time that I wrote some words for a change. I have kept this blog going for a long time, six years I think, and I always had something to say and some time to write it. When I first started the blog I had one child and three cats. Now I have three kids, 3 cats, in around 50 chickens, five gardens, two lambs, one goat and a dog. I'm busy, but the word doesn't give credence to the reality of my non-stop activity level. Needless to say, I don't have one moment in the day all to myself, and that's not so good. I do get a little chunk of time every couple weeks where miraculously, the little ones actually go to bed when they are supposed to and of course I squander the time away wandering in nervous circles around the house, picking up stray toys, washing the counters, sweeping the floor, and then making tea and thinking how valuable this time is and that I would love to do something creative, invigorating or spiritually nurturing, but that just doesn't happen right now, not in this mothering-intensive section of my existence. I really beat myself up for a few years, thinking that I should be accomplishing way more even though it just was not possible, and now that I have broken, now that something inside of me snapped and released the pattern of thinking, I am much freer. I am realistic and also very forgiving of myself. I also feel much more peace during my days, despite the heavy work load. It's all inside of you, it really is - the way you think and view the world IS your world.

Your life and moments are what they are. You are what you do. I am a mama, I am a homesteader. I am, inside my very construct, an artist. I do not have time to play in the manner of which I would choose, but if I could, I'm sure I would do something fresh and new..like learn pottery, weaving or belly dancing..

 Please don't think I am griping here because indeed, I am not at all. In the end of all things, when I get away from the self-pressure and expectations and too much thinking all the time, I am so happy with my kids and lambs and chickens. I love my life, love the daily rhythms and hard work that never ends. I love the sense of purpose and the lack of idleness.

When I walk in the pasture, everyone comes. Ollie, Jude, the lambs, the dog and the goat, sometimes even a chicken or two. We walk in the wind and tall grass and everyone frolicks around me and I trip many times on a small child or lamb who stops abrubtly, we get tangled up in the dog's leash and I have to give up and sit down on the old fallen tree that we use precisely for this purpose. When I sit down, everyone gathers and snuggles around me and I just think to myself, Wow. I created this. I loved all of these beings so much that they genuinely want to walk with me in this pasture, and I get all teary and that's silly. So we go in and make tea.

Random thoughts. Now I will take my own advice and make a wondrous hot cup of tea, after I walk the dog and feed the lambies their night-time bottle of course! (:

(Jude's nature collection from the pasture)

Matilda's tipi

 

Oh, Matilda!

 

We have so many animals to love here on our lovely farm! This lady, our dear Matilda who has been with us only a matter of a few weeks now is quite possibly the sweetest, most wonderful dog in the whole world. I kid you not. She is pure love, and so gentle with the small children. She also loves to sleep in the play tip I made over a year ago which, although adored by everyone, really doesn't get played in that much. So I am glad to know that I really made it for her long before she arrived, I just didn't know it at the time (: